Rip Van Winkle (1978)

Rip Van Winkle, a lazy American man, wanders off one day with his dog Wolf into the Kaatskill mountains where he runs into an odd group of men drinking and playing bowls. He drinks some of ... See full summary »

Director:

Will Vinton

Writers:

Washington Irving (story), Susan Shadburne

Stars:

Will Geer, Tim Conner, Bob Griggs

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview:
Will Geer	...	Narrator (voice)
Tim Conner	...	Rip Van Winkle (voice)
Bob Griggs	...	(voice)
Bill Gratton	...	(voice) (as Bill Grattin)
Jim Andrews	...	(voice)
Marley Stone	...	(voice)
Paul Jameson	...	(voice)
Billy Scream	...	(voice)

Storyline

Rip Van Winkle, a lazy American man, wanders off one day with his dog Wolf into the Kaatskill mountains where he runs into an odd group of men drinking and playing bowls. He drinks some of their mysterious brew and passes out. When he wakes up under a tree he is astonished to find that 20 years have passed and things are a lot different. This is a charming story about how America changed due to the revolutionary war, only in a different and more subtle way than ever told before.

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Plot Keywords:

stop motion | clay animation | claymation | character name in title | 

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Genres:

Animation | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1978 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Will Vinton Studios, Billy Budd Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

27 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film involving Will Geer

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Connections

Version of Rip Van Winkle (1921)

User Reviews

there also seems to be a connection to "The Shining"

We've all heard about how the title character fell into a twenty-year sleep, and found the world totally different when he awoke. I wish to assert that there seems to be a connection to "The Shining", as both have the theme that things return, but not necessarily in the same form (needless to say, it was more subtle and more horrific in the latter).

But even ignoring that, this version of "Rip Van Winkle" is very well done, as can be expected from Will Vinton. I will say that the scene in the forest might be a little bit intense for young children, but otherwise, the whole thing works very well. Definitely worth seeing. Because here we all are.